The concept of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is older than you might think. The technology dates back to the 1960s, with the earliest systems focusing on the most basic form of clinical information storage and management. Since then EMRs have evolved, with greater industry investment, government regulation and a spike in adoption rates among health systems and physician practices. But there is still room to grow, as stakeholders across the ecosystem innovate to enable seamless, coordinated and integrated healthcare.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil mark an exciting milestone in the healthcare system’s EMR journey. This year is the first time that all athletes at the Games will have their health interactions managed by a single EMR. Here’s why this landmark is so monumental.

In the 1960 Olympic Games, when the EMR did not yet exist, athletes would travel to compete in the Olympic Games – away from their doctors and local care teams – without any written record of medications, procedures and conditions. At the moment when their bodies need to perform best, even the smallest of medical issues could be complicated by the fact that their care would not be informed.

That’s why GE has been partnering with the International Olympic Committee over the past decade to align the best in athletics with the best in technology and is providing its Centricity Practice Solution to this year’s Polyclinic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Through the EMR, doctors can track thousands of data points on each athlete, analyze that data in near real-time and coordinate care with providers from around the world. The customizable, easy to use digital solution provides reliable information and helps ensure that if an athlete comes in, the doctors know their exact medical history so they can make the best possible decision for the best possible outcome.

The Centricity Practice Solution has already proven to be a Games-changer, as it helped reduce surgeries for the U.S. Women’s Wrestling team by 60 percent for two years straight by enabling trend-spotting that led to injury prevention.  “That’s an amazing number,” said Bill Moreau, managing director of the sports medicine for the U.S. Olympic Committee. “That is the difference between paper and pencil and the power of analytics.”